JP5495928B2 - Sheet supply unit and printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply unit and a printer.

  Conventionally, when printing is performed on a plurality of types of sheets having different sizes, each sheet supply unit for supplying sheets of each size is necessary. In addition, since it is common to sort printed sheets and output them to different discharge trays for each size or for each purpose or purpose, a sort unit having a large number of discharge trays is used. Yes.

  In Patent Document 1, although a sheet supply unit is not illustrated, a printer main body portion (image forming apparatus) that performs printing or the like and a sorting unit that performs sorting of printed sheets and discharges them to a discharge tray are connected to each other. It is configured as a possible unit.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which two unitized sorting units are connected to a printer main body (image forming apparatus) that performs printing or the like.

JP-A-5-4773 JP-A-9-301623

  In both Patent Documents 1 and 2, the structure of the sort unit for sorting and discharging printed sheets into a plurality of groups is described, but the configuration for supplying a plurality of types of sheets is described. It has not been. In the actual use of a printer, there has been no configuration that can cope with a greater number of types of sheets.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet supply unit used when more types of sheets are desired and a printer including the sheet supply unit.

  The sheet supply unit of the present invention is inserted between a printer main body unit that prints a sheet and a sort unit having a plurality of discharge trays for discharging the printed sheet. Further, it can be connected to the printer main unit and the sort unit, and can be connected to other sheet supply units. A sheet, which is a recording medium, is built in the housing. Further, a supply path extending in the horizontal direction for supplying the sheet to the printer main unit and a discharge conveyance path extending in the horizontal direction for conveying the sheet printed by the printer main unit to the sort unit are provided in the housing. It is provided through. An outlet of the supply path and an inlet of the discharge conveyance path are formed on the surface of the housing on the printer main unit side, and an inlet of the supply path and an outlet of the discharge conveyance path are formed on the surface of the casing on the sort unit side. Is formed. The outlet of the supply path and the inlet of the supply path are formed at positions that overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction, and the inlet of the discharge conveyance path and the outlet of the discharge conveyance path overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction Is formed.

  The printer of the present invention includes a printer main body unit, a sort unit, and at least one sheet supply unit having the above-described configuration that is inserted between the printer main body unit and the sort unit. The inlet and outlet of the supply path of the sheet supply unit and the inlet of the sheet of the printer main unit are formed at positions that overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction. The inlet and outlet of the discharge conveyance path of the sheet supply unit, the sheet outlet of the printer main unit, and the sheet inlet of the sort unit are formed at positions that overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily increase the number of types of sheets as recording media, and the operability of supplying and discharging sheets is good.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic explaining the operation | movement at the time of the single-sided printing by the printer shown in FIG. It is the schematic explaining the operation | movement at the time of double-sided printing by the printer shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the sheet supply unit of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the sheet supply unit illustrated in FIG. 4 is added to the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a sorting unit of the printer shown in FIGS. It is the schematic which shows the initial state of the sort unit shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows an example of the state which discharges the large sized sheet of the sort unit shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows an example of the state which discharges | emits a small sized sheet of the sort unit shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the state which discharges the unnecessary sheet | seat of the sort unit shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the sort unit shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an ink jet printer is used. This printer is a high-speed line printer capable of both single-sided printing and double-sided printing on a continuous sheet made of paper, synthetic resin or the like and wound into a roll. The continuous sheet after printing is cut into a predetermined size. Are discharged. This printer is particularly suitable for a large amount of printing in a print laboratory or the like.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the printer. First, the basic configuration of this printer will be described.

  Inside the printer, the following apparatuses are mainly provided along a sheet conveyance path indicated by a solid line. As an apparatus for supplying a continuous sheet, printing, and cutting, a sheet supply unit 1, a decurling unit (warp reduction unit) 2, a skew correction unit 3, a printing unit 4, an inspection unit 5, and a cutter unit 6 is provided. An information recording unit 7, a drying unit 8, a sheet winding unit 9, a discharge conveyance unit 10, and a sorting unit (sort unit) 11 are used as apparatuses for conveying, sorting, and discharging the cut sheets. Is provided. Further, a control unit 13 for controlling the operation of each device of the printer is provided. The printer includes a sheet supply unit 1, a decurling unit (warp reduction unit) 2, a skew correction unit 3, a printing unit 4, an inspection unit 5, a cutter unit 6, an information recording unit 7, and a drying unit. 8, a sheet winding unit 9, a discharge conveyance unit 10, and a control unit 13. A sort unit 11 that is a sort unit is connected to the printer main unit 20. The term “unit” as used herein means a device in which a mechanism for performing a specific process is housed in a housing and can be handled independently from other devices, and the units are connected to each other. Is possible.

  The sort unit 11 has a tray group, and in this embodiment, the tray group is divided into, for example, a large-size sheet discharge tray 12, 18, a small-size sheet discharge tray 17, and an unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19. Is done. Note that the large-size sheet discharge tray 18 has the largest accommodation capacity among the large-size sheet discharge trays.

  Many printer apparatuses are provided with a sheet conveying mechanism including a roller pair and a belt, and the sheets are conveyed along the sheet conveying path by these sheet conveying mechanisms, and each apparatus performs respective processing. Is done.

  The sheet supply unit 1 is a device that stores and supplies a continuous sheet wound in a roll shape. The sheet supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment can store two rolls R1 and R2, and draws a sheet from one of these rolls R1 and R2 and supplies the sheet to a subsequent apparatus. However, the number of rolls that can be stored in the sheet supply unit 1 is not limited to two, and only one roll may be stored, or three or more rolls may be stored.

  The decurling unit 2 is a device that reduces curling (warping) of a sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit 1. The decurling unit 2 is provided with one driving roller and two pinch rollers in contact with both sides thereof. The supplied sheet is passed between the drive roller and one of the pinch rollers, and the sheet is bent and curled so as to give a curl in the opposite direction to the curl generated by being rolled. This reduces curl. One of the two pinch rollers is selected and used according to the direction of warpage.

  The skew correction unit 3 is a device that corrects the skew of the sheet that has passed through the decurling unit 2 (that is, the sheet moves while being inclined with respect to the original traveling direction). The skew of the sheet is corrected by pressing it against the guide member with one of both side end portions of the continuous sheet as a reference.

  The printing unit 4 is a device that performs printing (forms an image) on the conveyed sheet by the print head 14. The printing unit 4 includes a plurality of print heads 14 arranged in parallel along the conveyance direction, and a plurality of conveyance rollers that convey the sheet. The print head 14 is a line type print head in which an inkjet nozzle row is formed in a range that covers the maximum width of a sheet that is supposed to be used. In this embodiment, seven print heads corresponding to seven colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), G (gray), and K (black). Have However, the number of colors and the number of print heads are not limited to seven. As the ink jet method, a method using a heating element, a method using a piezo element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) element, or the like can be employed. Each color ink is supplied from an ink tank (not shown) to each print head 14 via an ink tube.

  The inspection unit 5 has an optical element, and optically reads an inspection pattern or image formed on the sheet by the printing unit 4 to inspect the nozzle state of the print head, the sheet conveyance state, the image position, and the like. It is.

  The cutter unit 6 has a mechanical cutter, and is a device that cuts a printed sheet into a predetermined length. The cutter unit 6 also includes a plurality of conveying rollers for sending the cut sheet to the next process.

  The information recording unit 7 is a device that has a print mechanism and records print information such as a serial number and date on the back surface (unprinted surface) of a cut sheet. The printing mechanism of the information recording unit 7 may be the same as that of the print head 14 of the printing unit 4, but may be of a smaller and simpler configuration. Further, the printing mechanism is not limited to the ink jet system, and may operate in a simpler system. As will be described later, in the case of double-sided printing, the information recording unit 7 does not operate.

  The drying unit 8 has a dryer, and is a device that heats the sheet printed by the printing unit 4 and dries attached ink in a short time. The drying unit 8 also includes a conveyance belt and a conveyance roller for sending the sheet to the next process.

  The sheet winding unit 9 is a device that temporarily winds a continuous sheet on which printing on the front surface has been completed when performing double-sided printing. The sheet winding unit 9 includes a rotatable winding drum for winding a sheet. In the case of double-sided printing, the continuous sheet is conveyed without being cut when only the front surface is printed. The continuous sheet is temporarily wound around the winding drum in the sheet winding unit 9. When the winding is completed, the winding drum rotates reversely, and the wound sheet is supplied to the decurling unit 2 and sent to the printing unit 4 (the conveyance path at this time is indicated by a broken line). Since the continuous sheet drawn again from the winding drum is reversed, the printing unit 4 can print on the back side. More specific operation during duplex printing will be described later.

  The discharge conveyance unit 10 is mainly composed of a pair of rollers, and is a sheet cut by the cutter unit 6 and dried by the drying unit 8 (in the case of double-sided printing, after being printed, cut, and dried on the back side) This is a device for transporting sheets) and delivering the sheets to the sorting unit 11. In the present invention, the discharge conveyance unit 10 is disposed below the sheet supply apparatus 1.

  The sorting unit of the sorting unit 11 is a device that discharges the printed sheets in groups as necessary. In this embodiment, the tray group is divided into a large size sheet discharge tray 12, a small size sheet discharge tray 17, a large size sheet large capacity discharge tray 18, and an unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19. The sheets are grouped in the sort unit 11 and sorted for each group and discharged to one of the discharge trays. A large-size sheet discharge tray is disposed on the upstream side, that is, on the side surface of the printer as viewed in the sheet conveyance direction in the sort unit 11. Among the large size sheet discharge trays, the one having the largest capacity is the large size sheet large capacity discharge tray 18, which is illustrated separately from the other large size sheet discharge trays 12. A small-size sheet discharge tray 17 is disposed on the downstream side, that is, on the upper surface of the printer. The unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 is further upstream than the large-size sheet discharge tray 12 and the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 as viewed in the sheet conveyance direction in the sort unit 11, that is, the lowermost part on the side surface of the printer. Is arranged. The technical significance of the arrangement of these discharge trays 12, 17, 18, 19 will be described later.

  The control unit 13 is a device that controls each device of the printer. The control unit 13 includes a CPU, a memory, a controller 15 having various I / O interfaces, and a power source. Only the controller 15 is shown in the drawing. An external device 16 such as a host computer is connected to the controller 15 via an I / O interface. The operation of the printer is controlled based on a command from the controller 15 or the external device 16.

  Next, the basic operation during printing by this printer will be described. Since the printing operation differs between single-sided printing and double-sided printing, each will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation during single-sided printing. First, a continuous sheet is supplied from the sheet supply unit 1, the warping is reduced by the decurling unit 2, and the skew is corrected by the skew correcting unit 3, and then printed on the surface by the printing unit 4. The printed continuous sheet is inspected by the inspection unit 5 and then cut by the cutter unit 6 for each predetermined length. The control unit 13 controls the printing unit 4 and the cutting unit 6 so that a predetermined range cut by the cutting unit 6 and a print area by the printing unit 4 substantially coincide with each other. Print information is recorded on the back side of the cut sheet (cut sheet-like sheet) by the information recording unit 7 as necessary. Then, the cut sheet-like sheets are conveyed one by one to the drying unit 8 and dried. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed to the sort unit 11 via the discharge conveyance unit 10 below the sheet supply unit 1. In the sort unit 11, sorting is performed based on control by the control unit 13. Specifically, according to the size of the cut sheet-like sheet, a large size sheet is discharged to the large size sheet discharge tray 12, and a small size sheet is discharged to the small size sheet discharge tray 17. When it is known that large sized sheets are produced in large quantities, the large sized sheets are discharged to the large sized sheet large capacity discharge tray 18 having the largest accommodation capacity among the large sized sheet discharge trays. Unnecessary sheets such as a test-printed sheet, a sheet in which a print defect has occurred, a margin portion positioned between the sheets, and the like are discharged to the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19. Note that the grouping method in the sort unit 11 and the method for selectively discharging the grouped sheets to any one of the discharge trays may be any conventionally known method, and thus the description thereof is omitted. What kind of grouping is performed in the sort unit 11 may be appropriately determined. The present invention is also effective when the tray to be discharged is changed sequentially in accordance with the number of sheets.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation during duplex printing. In the case of double-sided printing, the front side printing sequence is first performed, and then the back side printing sequence is executed. In the front surface printing sequence, the operations of the respective devices from the sheet supply unit 1 to the decurling unit 2, the skew correction unit 3, the printing unit 4, and the inspection unit 5 are the same as those of the single-sided printing sequence described above. . At this point, the cutting of the sheet by the cutter unit 6 and the recording by the information recording unit 7 are not performed, but the continuous sheet passes through the cutter unit 6 and the information recording unit 7 and is conveyed to the drying unit 8. The drying unit 8 dries the ink on the surface of the sheet. Thereafter, the sheet is introduced not from the drying unit 8 to the discharge conveyance unit 10 but to the route to the sheet winding unit 9. In this way, the sheet introduced into the path toward the sheet winding unit 9 is wound around the winding drum of the sheet winding unit 9 that rotates in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction in the drawing). In addition, switching of the path | route of the sheet | seat which passed the drying part 8 is performed by the well-known method using the guide member etc. which are not shown in figure.

  When all the scheduled printing on the surface of the sheet is completed in the printing unit 4, the continuous sheet is cut by the cutter unit 6 at the position of the rearmost end of the entire printing area. The continuous sheet downstream of the cutting position in the conveying direction (continuous surface-printed continuous sheet) passes through the drying unit 8 and is all wound up to the sheet end (cut position) by the sheet winding unit 9. On the other hand, the continuous sheet upstream of the cutting position in the conveyance direction (continuous sheet not printed on the front surface) is wound up to the sheet supply unit 1 of the sheet supply unit 51 so that a part of the sheet does not remain in the decurling unit 2 or the like. Returned.

  After the front surface printing sequence described above, the process proceeds to the back surface printing sequence. Specifically, the winding drum of the sheet winding unit 9 that has wound the continuous sheet to the last end rotates in the opposite direction (clockwise direction in the drawing) to that during winding. As a result, the end of the wound sheet (the last end of the sheet at the time of winding becomes the leading edge of the sheet at the time of re-feeding) is fed into the decurling unit 2. This transport path is indicated by a broken line in the drawing. The decurling unit 2 performs curl correction in the opposite direction to that when the continuous sheet is supplied from the sheet supply unit 1. This is because the continuous sheet wound around the take-up drum is wound upside down from the roll of the sheet supply unit 1 and is curled in the opposite direction. The continuous sheet (surface-printed continuous sheet) whose warpage has been reduced by the decurling unit 2 is corrected in skew by the skew correcting unit 3 and sent to the printing unit 4 again. Printing is performed on the back surface of the continuous sheet by the print head 14 of the printing unit. The continuous sheet printed also on the back surface is inspected by the inspection unit 5 and then cut by the cutter unit 6 for each predetermined length. Since the sheet cut in this way (cut sheet-like sheet) is printed on both sides, recording by the information recording unit 7 is not performed. The cut sheet-like sheets are conveyed one by one to the drying unit 8 and dried. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed to the sort unit 11 via the discharge conveyance unit 10 below the sheet supply unit 1. In the sort unit 11, sorting is performed based on the control by the control unit 13, as in the above-described front surface print sequence. That is, a large-size sheet is placed in the large-size sheet discharge tray 12 (a large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 when there are a large number of sheets), a small-size sheet is placed in the small-size sheet discharge tray 17, and unnecessary sheets are unnecessary sheets. Each is discharged to a discharge tray 19.

  As described above, the printer shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which the sort unit 11 and the printer main unit 20 are connected. Accordingly, the outlet of the discharge conveyance unit 10 and the inlet of the sort unit 11 are configured so that the sheet is smoothly conveyed from the discharge conveyance unit 10 of the printer main unit 20 to the sort unit 11. Specifically, the outlet of the discharge conveyance unit 10 and the inlet of the sort unit 11 have substantially the same size and the same shape, and have a larger thickness and width than the maximum size sheet used. These are provided such that the position in the height direction and the position in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are coincident with each other. If they are not exactly the same size and shape, at least the lowermost height and the center position in the width direction are provided so as to coincide with each other.

  Furthermore, in the printer of the present invention, an additional sheet supply unit 51 can be inserted between the printer body unit 20 and the sort unit 11. 4 shows a sheet supply unit 51 for expansion, and FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which one sheet supply unit 51 is added to the configuration shown in FIG.

  The additional sheet supply unit 51 incorporates continuous sheet rolls R3 and R4 in a casing, and a supply path 511 and a discharge conveyance path 510 are provided through the casing. The supply path 511 is a conveyance path for supplying a sheet to the printer body unit 20 and extends in the horizontal direction. The discharge conveyance path 510 is a conveyance path from the printer body unit 20 toward the sort unit 11 and extends in the horizontal direction. An exit of the supply path 511 and an entrance of the discharge conveyance path 510 are formed on the surface of the casing of the sheet supply unit 51 located on the printer main unit 20 side. An inlet of the supply path 511 and an outlet of the discharge conveyance path 510 are formed on the surface of the housing of the sheet supply unit 51 located on the sort unit 11 side. In the drawing, only the roller pair constituting the carry-out conveyance path 510 is shown, but actually, a guide member and a roller pair (not shown) constituting the supply path 511 are also provided.

  In the printer shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sheet supply unit 1 is located between various apparatuses that perform various processes on the sheet and the sort unit 11 that discharges printed sheets. Yes. With this arrangement, the operation of attaching / detaching the continuous sheet rolls R1, R2 to / from the sheet supply unit 1 and the removal of the cut sheet-like sheets from the respective discharge trays 12, 17, 18, 19 of the sort unit 11 are performed by the printer. It can be done from the same direction. Therefore, since these operations can be performed without the user moving, the operation is easy. However, because of such an arrangement, after the sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit 1 is subjected to various processes in each part of the printer main unit 20, the discharge conveyance unit 10 below the sheet supply unit 1 is again set. Then, it is sent to the sort unit 11. That is, the supply path 512 in the sheet supply unit 1 and the discharge conveyance path 513 of the discharge conveyance unit 10 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. If the unit inserted between the printer main unit 20 and the sort unit 11 blocks the supply path 512 or the discharge transport path 513, the sheet transport path from the roll to the discharge tray is blocked, and processing becomes impossible. End up. Therefore, in the present invention, the sheet supply unit 51 inserted between the printer main unit 20 and the sort unit 11 is provided with a supply path 511 and a discharge conveyance path 510 extending in the horizontal direction. The inlet and outlet of the supply path 511 of the sheet supply unit 51 are formed so as to overlap with the inlet of the printer main unit 20 (in this embodiment, the inlet of the decurling unit 2) when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction. In the present embodiment, the inlet and outlet of the supply path 511 of the sheet supply unit 51 and the inlet of the printer main unit 20 (inlet of the decurling unit 2) are substantially the same size and shape, and the maximum used It has a greater thickness and width than the size sheet. These are provided such that the position in the height direction and the position in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are coincident with each other. If they are not exactly the same size and shape, at least the lowermost height and the center position in the width direction are provided so as to coincide with each other.

  Further, the inlet and outlet of the carry-out conveyance path 510 of the sheet supply unit 51, the outlet of the printer main unit 20 (in this embodiment, the outlet of the discharge conveyance unit 10), and the inlet of the sort unit 11 are viewed in the sheet conveyance direction. Are formed at positions overlapping each other. In this embodiment, they are all substantially the same size and shape and have a greater thickness and width than the largest sized sheet used. These are provided such that the position in the height direction and the position in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are coincident with each other. If they are not exactly the same size and shape, at least the lowermost height and the center position in the width direction are provided so as to coincide with each other.

  The widths of the supply path 511 and the discharge conveyance path 510 that extend in the horizontal direction are formed larger than the width of the maximum size sheet to be used. Therefore, by simply connecting the sheet supply unit 51 to the printer main unit 20 and the sort unit 11, the conveyance paths in both directions including the sheet supply path 511 and the discharge conveyance path 510 can be easily continued without being misaligned. It can be transported accurately and stably. When there are a plurality of sheet supply units 51, the inlets and outlets of the respective supply paths 511 are formed at positions overlapping each other when viewed in the sheet conveying direction, and at least the lowest position in the height direction and The center positions in the width direction coincide with each other. Similarly, the inlet and outlet of the discharge conveyance path 510 are formed at positions that overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction, and at least the lowest position in the height direction and the center position in the width direction coincide with each other. Accordingly, when the plurality of sheet supply units 51 are connected to each other, the respective supply paths 511 and the discharge conveyance paths 510 are continuous.

  Thus, the printer of the present invention can not only print sheets from the two rolls R1 and R2 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, but also more types of sheets, for example, sizes and materials. It is easy to print different types of sheets. That is, the sheet supply unit 51 may be inserted and connected between the printer main body unit 20 and the sort unit 11 that can be connected together, and the printer main body unit 20 is opened and the roll in the sheet supply unit 1 is connected. There is no need to take it out and replace it with another roll. In addition, since it is not necessary to position each conveyance path (the supply path 511 and the discharge conveyance path 510), the operation is very simple. The sheet supply unit 51 can be connected to the printer body unit 20 and the sort unit 11, and can also be connected to other sheet supply units 51. When it is required to perform recording using many types of sheets, theoretically, as many sheet supply units 51 can be added as the number of types of sheets, the number of sheets to be used can be increased. There is no limit to the type.

  In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5, one sheet supply unit 1 and a discharge conveyance unit 10 are provided in advance in the printer main body unit 20. However, although not shown, the sheet supply unit 1 and the discharge conveyance unit 10 are deleted from the printer main unit 20, and at least one sheet supply unit 51 is always connected between the printer main unit 20 and the sort unit 11. It can also be set as the structure to do. As a matter of course, a large number of sheet supply units 51 can be connected also in this case.

  Next, the arrangement of the discharge tray of the sort unit 11 of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet conveyance path in the sort unit 11 extends from the bottom surface side of the sort unit 11 along the side surface opposite to the surface connected to the printer body unit 20 or the sheet supply unit 51. It extends to the surface (upper surface side) that continues to. The discharge tray of the sort unit 11 is located on the side and above as viewed from the sheet supply unit 1 (or the sheet supply unit 51). Among these, large sheet discharge trays 18, 7121, 7122, 7123 and an unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 are arranged on the side of the sheet supply unit 1 (or the sheet supply unit 51), that is, on the side surface of the sort unit 11. Yes. Specifically, the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 having the largest capacity among the large-size sheet discharge trays is positioned at the uppermost side of the sort unit 11, and the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 is positioned at the lowermost side of the sort unit 11. Is located. The discharge trays 7121, 7122, and 7123 positioned between the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 and the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 are the large-size sheet discharge tray 12 that is not large in capacity. The large size sheet 712 is discharged to the large size sheet discharge tray 12 and the large size sheet large capacity discharge tray 18, and the unnecessary sheet is discharged to the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19.

  Further, small size sheet discharge trays 17 and 717 are arranged above the sheet supply unit 1 (or the sheet supply unit 51), that is, on the upper surface of the sort unit 11, and the small size sheets 711 are discharged. The large size sheet 712 and the small size sheet 711 here are distinguished by at least the size in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Although it is possible to discharge the small size sheet 711 to the large size sheet discharge tray, it is impossible to discharge the large size sheet 712 to the small size sheet discharge trays 17 and 717.

  Explaining this technical significance, the sheet conveyance path in the sort unit 11 of the present embodiment extends from the bottom surface side (downward) to the upper surface side (upward) as shown in the figure. The longer the sheet conveyance path, the higher the risk of jam (paper jam). In addition, the large size sheet 712 has more contact with various members in the sort unit 11 than the small size sheet 711. The risk of jam is high. Accordingly, it is effective to prevent the jam by discharging the large size sheet 712 upstream of the small size sheet 711 in the transport direction and shortening the transport path. Therefore, in this embodiment, the large-size sheet discharge trays 18, 7121, 7122, and 7123 are arranged on the side surface (upstream side in the transport direction) of the sort unit 11, and the small-size sheet discharge trays 17 and 717 are placed on the top surface of the sort unit 11. It is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction. As a result, the risk of jamming is reduced. Further, the unnecessary sheet may include a sheet that has been bent or a sheet that has become sticky due to insufficient drying of ink. Since such a sheet has a particularly high risk of jamming, the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 is disposed at the lowermost part of the side surface of the sorting unit 11 to further reduce the risk of jamming. By disposing the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 at the lowermost part of the side surface of the sort unit 11, it is relatively easy to take out the unnecessary sheets for discarding. Also, even if the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 becomes full and unnecessary sheets overflow outside the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19, it does not affect other discharge trays.

  In addition, small-size sheet discharge trays 17 and 717 having a small width are provided on the upper surface of the sort unit 11, and members constituting the conveyance path in the vicinity of the upper surface and each member attached thereto are also narrow and light, as will be described later. Can be. That is, since a relatively small and light member is disposed above the sort unit 11, the structure can be simplified as compared with the case where a large and heavy member is disposed.

  A specific internal configuration of the sort unit 11 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet conveyance path in the sort unit 11 includes a main conveyance path 821 for large-size sheets and a main conveyance path 822 for small-size sheets. Further, sub-transport paths 823 to 827 branched from the main transport path 821 for large-size sheets and sub-transport paths 828 branched from the main transport path 822 for small-size sheets are provided. Near each conveyance path, roller pairs (pairs of conveyance rollers and pinch rollers) 801 to 814, 830 to 831 for conveying sheets are provided. The conveying rollers of these roller pairs 801 to 814, 830 to 831 are driven by an actuator (not shown).

  In addition, flap members 815 to 820 are provided at branch positions of the main transport paths 821 and 822 and the sub transport paths 823 to 828, respectively. These flap members 815 to 820 are driven by actuators 1015 to 1020, which will be described later, and the sheet traveling direction can be switched between the main conveyance path 821 to 822 and the sub conveyance path.

  FIG. 7 shows an initial state of conveyance of the large size sheet 712 in which the flap members 815 to 820 are not driven by the actuators 1015 to 1020 (see FIG. 11). The flap members 815 to 818 block the branching from the main conveyance paths 821 to 822 to the sub conveyance paths 823 to 826 (preventing entry into the sub conveyance paths 823 to 826), but the flap member 819 is a large size sheet. A sub-transport path 827 that is a branch path to the large capacity tray 18 is opened. In this state, the sheet is guided to the sub-conveying path 827 and discharged to the large size sheet large capacity tray 18. In this state, the large size sheet 712 does not necessarily have to be discharged to the large size sheet large capacity tray 18, and the small size sheet 717 may be conveyed and discharged to the large size sheet large capacity tray 18. In particular, even when sheets are discharged without sorting, sheets may be discharged to the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18. The large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 has a width that can accommodate the maximum size sheet to be used, has a large capacity, and can be easily taken out. Generally used. Therefore, in this embodiment, the state in which the sheet is discharged to the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 is a non-driven initial state in which it is not necessary to operate the actuators 1015 to 1020.

  FIG. 8 shows a state where the large size sheet 712 is discharged to the large size sheet discharge tray 7121. Specifically, from the initial state shown in FIG. 7, the flap member 818 is opened to the main conveyance path 821 side, and the large size sheet 712 is sent to the sub conveyance path 826 and guided to the large size sheet discharge tray 7121. This is a case where sheets are discharged to a discharge tray other than the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray 18 described above.

  FIG. 9 shows a state where the small size sheet 711 is discharged to the small size sheet discharge tray 717. Specifically, from the initial state shown in FIG. 7, the flap member 819 closes the sub-transport path 827 of the large-size sheet discharge tray 18 and the flap member 820 opens to the main transport path 822 side. As a result, the small size sheet 712 is guided from the main transport path 821 to the sub transport path 828 via the main transport path 822 and discharged to the small size sheet discharge tray 717.

  FIG. 10 shows a state where the unnecessary sheet 101 is discharged to the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19. For example, when a defect is detected in the inspection unit 5, the flap unit 815 closes the main conveyance path 821 and opens the sub conveyance path 823 from the initial state shown in FIG. As a result, the sheet in which the defect is detected is discharged as the unnecessary sheet 101 to the unnecessary sheet discharge tray 19 in a manner different from the sheet that has been satisfactorily processed.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the inside of the sort unit 11 that performs the sheet discharge processing as described above, and shows only the main conveyance paths 821 to 822 for easy viewing. In this configuration, actuators 1015 to 1020 (rotary solenoids in the present embodiment) that drive the flap members 815 to 820 are provided. And each flap member 815-820 is urged | biased by the springs 101-106 at the time of non-driving, and is hold | maintained at the initial position shown in FIG. When each of the flap members 815 to 820 is driven by the actuators 1015 to 1020, the flap members 815 to 820 rotate around the central axes 1005 to 1010 by overcoming the urging force of the springs 101 to 106. When the driving by the actuators 1015 to 1020 is completed, the flap members 815 to 820 return to the initial state by the biasing force of the springs 101 to 106.

  The springs 101 to 104 are provided on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction as compared with the central axes 1005 to 1008 of the flap members 815 to 818. However, the spring 105 is provided downstream of the central axis 1009 of the flap member 819 in the sheet conveying direction. Unlike the other flap members 815 to 818, the flap member 819 is in the sub-conveying path 827 in the initial state. It is energized in the direction of opening.

  With such a configuration, only the small size sheet 711 is conveyed to the front side (downstream side) of the flap member 819, and the large size sheet 712 is not conveyed. Accordingly, the downstream main conveyance path 822 and sub-conveyance path 828 located on the upper surface of the sort unit 11 can be configured to have a width according to the size of the small size sheet 711. As a result, the member disposed on the upper surface side of the seat unit 11 can be made compact and light, and the degree of freedom of the material and structure of the housing of the seat unit 11 and the support mechanism of each member is increased. Note that the flap member 819 is biased in the direction of opening the sub-transport path 827 in the initial state, contrary to the other flap members 815 to 818 upstream of the transport direction. Therefore, even if the actuators 1015 to 1020 break down and the flap members 815 to 820 do not operate, the large-size sheet 712 enters the main conveyance path 828 before (downstream side) the flap member 819. There is no. For this reason, jamming does not occur due to the large size sheet 712 entering the conveyance paths 822 and 828 for small size sheets, and the main conveyance path 822 and the sub conveyance path 828 can be made compact as described above. it can.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily increase the number of types of sheets as recording media, which has not been taken into consideration in Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc., and high expandability can be realized. Since the sheet can be supplied and discharged on the same side of the printer, the operability is good and the structure can be made compact.

  In addition, a large-size sheet discharge tray is disposed upstream of the small-size sheet discharge tray in the sheet conveyance direction so that the large-size sheet does not enter the downstream side of the conveyance path. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the downstream conveyance path, discharge tray, etc. according to the size of the small-size sheet, and with the simplification of the structure of the sorting unit and the improvement of the freedom of materials and structure Cost reduction is possible. Further, since the large size sheet does not enter the downstream side in the conveyance direction, the risk of jamming is reduced. In addition, by placing a large-capacity sheet discharge tray (large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray) at the top of the side surface of the sort unit, it is relatively possible to increase the distance between the discharge trays. High operability can be obtained. By disposing the unnecessary sheet discharge tray further upstream of the large-size sheet discharge tray in the sheet conveyance direction, unnecessary sheets that have caused some sort of trouble are prevented from being conveyed to the downstream side of the conveyance path. Jam caused by the sheet can be prevented.

11 Sort Unit 12 Large Size Sheet Discharge Tray 17 Small Size Sheet Discharge Tray 18 Large Size Sheet Large Capacity Discharge Tray 19 Unnecessary Sheet Discharge Tray 20 Printer Main Unit 51 Sheet Supply Unit 510 Discharge Transport Path 511 Supply Path

Claims (7)

A sheet supply unit inserted between a printer main body unit that prints a sheet and a sort unit having a plurality of discharge trays for discharging the printed sheet;
It is connectable to the printer main unit and the sort unit, and can be connected to other sheet supply units.
A sheet as a recording medium is built in the housing, a supply path extending in the horizontal direction for supplying the sheet to the printer main unit, and the sheet printed by the printer main unit to the sort unit. A discharge conveyance path extending in the horizontal direction for conveyance is provided through the housing;
An outlet of the supply path and an inlet of the discharge conveyance path are formed on a surface of the casing on the printer body unit side, and an inlet of the supply path is formed on a surface of the casing on the sort unit side. And an exit of the discharge conveyance path is formed,
The outlet of the supply path and the inlet of the supply path are formed at positions overlapping each other when viewed in the sheet transport direction, and the inlet of the discharge transport path and the outlet of the discharge transport path are viewed in the sheet transport direction. The sheet supply unit is formed at a position overlapping each other. A printer having the printer main unit, the sort unit, and at least one sheet supply unit inserted between the printer main unit and the sort unit,
The inlet and outlet of the supply path of the sheet supply unit and the inlet of the sheet of the printer body unit are formed at positions that overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction,
The inlet and outlet of the discharge conveyance path of the sheet supply unit, the sheet outlet of the printer main unit, and the sheet inlet of the sort unit are formed at positions that overlap each other when viewed in the sheet conveyance direction. Printer. The transport path of the sheet in the sort unit is positioned on the downstream side of the transport path for the large size sheet and the transport path for the large size sheet located on the upstream side in the transport direction of the sheet, A conveyance path for a small size sheet having a smaller width in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet than the conveyance path for the large size sheet,
The printer according to claim 2, wherein a large-size sheet discharge tray is connected to the large-size sheet conveyance path, and a small-size sheet discharge tray is connected to the small-size sheet conveyance path. In the sorting unit, a plurality of the discharge trays are disposed across a side surface opposite to a surface connected to the sheet supply unit and a surface continuous with the side surface.
The transport path in the sort unit extends along the side surface to a surface continuous with the side surface, the large-size sheet discharge tray is disposed on the side surface, and the small-size sheet discharge tray is the side surface. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the printer is disposed on a continuous surface. The printer according to claim 3 or 4, wherein an unnecessary sheet discharge tray is disposed upstream of the large-size sheet discharge tray in the sheet conveyance direction. The discharge conveyance path of the sheet supply unit is provided below the supply path,
The outlet of the printer body unit is provided below the inlet;
The transport path in the sort unit extends from the bottom surface side toward the top surface side, and the surface continuous with the side surface is the top surface,
6. The large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray having the largest capacity among the large-size sheet discharge trays is disposed at the uppermost portion of the side surface of the sort unit. Printer. The transport path in the sort unit includes a main transport path that is provided along the transport direction of the sheet, and a sub-transport path that branches from the main transport path toward the discharge tray,
Flap members capable of switching the traveling direction of the sheet are provided at the branch positions of the main transport path and the sub transport path, respectively.
The flap member provided at a branch position between the main conveyance path and the sub conveyance path connected to the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray is in an undriven initial state, and transfers the sheet to the sub conveyance path. Located to guide,
The flap member provided at a branch position between the main conveyance path and the sub conveyance path connected to the discharge tray located on the upstream side of the large-size sheet large-capacity discharge tray in the sheet conveyance direction is The printer according to claim 6, wherein the printer is positioned so as to prevent entry into the sub-transport path in a non-driven initial state.

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